Fuzzy Blue Lights
by kbecks41319
Summary: Alexis seeks refuge at Kate's apartment, but why?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Okay, taking a venture into the brain of Alexis Castle.. everyone, hold on tight. The name has nothing to do with the story, because I honestly couldn't think of a name but this has been sitting in my documents for over a month. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** As always, I own nothing.

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><p>With her book bag slung hastily over her right shoulder and overnight bag clutched tightly in her left hand, she bites her lower lip as she knocks quickly on the door. She's not sure what made her come here, what possessed her to chose this apartment of all places. She could of gone to her grandmother's, or her best friend's, or she could have even called her mom..<p>

"Yeah right," Alexis mutters under her breath. "That'd happen when hell freezes over."

She's staring at the door, debating on leaving, when she hears footsteps in the background. No turning away now. Taking a deep breath, she holds it in and steadies herself for what's about to happen.

When the door opens, she smiles shyly and pushes a strand of loose hair behind her ear. She hadn't thought this all the way through, not at all.

"Alexis?" The confusion in the woman's voice breaks her thinking process, bringing her back to reality to feel her cheeks burning red.

"Detective Beckett," she finally breaths out, having forgotten the proper function of her lungs for a moment. "Can I come in?"

"Uh, sure. Yeah. Come on in." The brunette detective steps back and waves her in, confusion clouding her eyes as she studies her partner's daughter.

The teenager knows that this is strange - first, it's almost one in the morning; second, the woman probably didn't even know that Alexis knew where she lived (not that she had before tonight - she had found it in her dad's address book on his phone). Giving her a thankful smile, she crosses over the threshold into the apartment and steps out of the way for the door to be shut. She's not sure where to go - to the kitchen or the living room, though both are in sight.

The soft click of the lock tells her that the door is closed and there's nothing standing in the way of her letting Detective Beckett know why she's there but her tongue doesn't want to cooperate with her. Why was she there? Besides the huge argument she had had with her father. Why had she chosen this place to run to, of all the places she could have gone?

"How about some hot cocoa?' The older woman is standing beside her now, looking at her with a raised eyebrow; like she knows she wants to talk but doesn't know how.

The redhead nods, following behind the brunette as she heads into the kitchen. She sits herself down at the kitchen table, her overnight bag held against her stomach as curiosity got the best of her and she looked around. She can hear Beckett moving around the kitchen, going about making the hot cocoa and probably trying to figure out what was happening.

Alexis didn't blame her.

Moments later, and after studying every inch of the kitchen (except the occupied part), she heard a soft thunk as a cup of steaming hot cocoa was set in front of her. She smiles and opens her mouth to say thank you, but what comes out is completely unexpected.

"Can I stay with you for a while?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** As always, I own nothing.

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><p>It's not as if the two were close. They weren't. Sure, they had gotten along well when the detective had stayed at the Castle loft after her apartment had been blown up but the friendship hadn't expanded beyond that.<p>

There was no real reason for her to be sitting in Kate Beckett's kitchen at one in the morning, asking if she could stay with her. Not when she had a room of her own back at her dad's loft, with her own bed and her own stuff.

The silence that lingers in the air is starting to suffocate her, forcing her to pick up the hot cup of cocoa and bring it to her lips. Although it burns her tongue, she takes a large sip and forces it down before placing the cup back down and standing up. She offers a smile, waving her hand about as she rapidly shoots out an excuse.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to - I shouldn't have asked. I'll just.. Go." She clears her throat and starts to head for the door, only stopping when she hears Kate call out.

"Wait. Alexis, stop." Her voice is gentle, but strong at the same time. She wants answers. "Why do you want to stay here, in my little two bedroom apartment, when your dad's loft is so much better?"

The words are out of her mouth before she can stop them, "Because your apartment doesn't have my dad in it."

Something seems to register with the detective then, Alexis can see it in her eyes as her lips soften and she simply nods. Maybe she's remembering a time when she wanted to be away from one of her parents, or when she simply just wanted to be away. Whatever it is, it makes the girl feel at ease.. Until the question comes.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Her lips thin out as she shakes her head, taking a precautionary step backwards towards the door - she'd leave if she had to. Paige would let her stay, no questions asked. Grams would too, if she was even home. Why she had came here to begin with..

"Okay," Kate gives her a soft smile before waving to the cup of cocoa. "Would you like to finish this? And then we can set up the guest bedroom."

Alexis' body relaxes as both her bags slump to the floor at her feet, all the fight exhausted out of her as she crosses back over to the chair and plops down onto it. Fighting with her dad was always enough to make her want to sleep for days but this time it had been worse. Never before had they fought like that. Her hand trembles as she picks up the cup, her eyes stinging as she takes another sip. She doesn't want to think about it now.

"Alexis, does your dad know you left?"

"I told him I was going to California," her words are bitter on her tongue as she stares down at her hands. She should have never yelled at him like that, not just because..

"To stay with your mom?"

The teenaged redhead simply nods, her eyes focusing on the swirl of the wood beneath her hands. She doesn't want to admit that she had acted out, that she had acted like a _teenager. _Even though she was technically one, she had always been the more level headed - between her father and herself.

Kate doesn't say anything else, simply sits there beside her for a few minutes before she stands and heads for the bedroom. Alexis knows that she is probably texting her dad, letting him know that she's still in New York and safe but she doesn't care. She just wants to sleep and forget everything that had happened.

Bringing the cup to her lips, she finishes off the cocoa and makes her way over to the sink before washing the cup and setting it aside in the drainer. She can hear Kate's voice, muffled, a few rooms over and she wonders exactly what her dad is saying. Noticing the few dishes laying in the sink, she starts to wash them without a second thought - she needs to keep her hands busy until she can sleep.

"Castle, your daughter is washing my dirty dishes, of course everything isn't alright. You need to stay there and she needs to stay here and everyone just needs to cool off. I'll talk to her in the morning and try to get her to come home, but if she doesn't want to then it's her decision. I'm not forcing her into anything."

Kate's voice is getting louder, announcing her presence behind her as she finishes off the last fork and puts it into the drainer along with the others. Drying her hands, she turns around to offer a timid smile.

"I clean when I'm upset," she explains.

"So do I," the detective smiles. "The room is ready if you want to go to bed."

"Dad have a cow?"

"He said he needs to call Meredith and apologize - not sure what that means, but no cows were had. I don't think."

Alexis cringes at the mention of her mother, sighing as she walks over to grab her overnight and book bag. Just another person she'd have to call and explain everything to. But that could wait until tomorrow, until she had sleep and could think properly. For now, she wanted to sleep.

"Thanks for letting me stay, Kate."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** As always, I own nothing.

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><p>Confusion slams into her like a freight train when her eyes open, taking in the room that is obviously not hers and probably hardly ever used. There's mostly boxes stacked around the room, like someone had placed them there in hopes to get to them soon but life had interfered. Which seemed logical, given Kate's job and how often she was kept away from home.<p>

_Kate._

She sighs as she pushes herself up in bed, running her fingers through her knotty red hair as she tries to regain a bit of normalcy. She needed to explain to the detective exactly why she was there; what had happened to drive her away from her father's home. There was a knock at her door, causing her to jump and turn to look quickly.

"Alexis? If you're up, I'm making pancakes and bacon. I'll leave some in the microwave if you want to sleep a bit longer."

The voice is there and gone before she can manage to reply, forcing her to find her way out of bed. She grabs her a change of clothes and her toiletry bag before heading out of the room, crossing over to the guest bathroom.

After finishing her morning routine and putting away her pajamas, she stumbles out of the bedroom once more to make her way to the kitchen. The smell of pancakes tickles her nose, bringing a soft smile to her face as she clears her throat to make her appearance known.

"Good morning, Kate."

"Morning, Alexis," Kate flashes her a smile before returning to the pancakes on the stove. "There's some juice and milk in the refrigerator if you want, or if coffee is more your thing there's a pot already made."

"Dad always said coffee would stunt my growth," Alexis replies out of habit, her stomach churning with the mention of her dad. She feels the smile slide off her face as her steps falter, her mind going to the fight they had. Forcing it from her mind for the time being, she flashes the detective a forced smile and opens up the refrigerator. "I think I'll stick to juice."

"The pancakes are in the shape of animals," the detective offers with the beginnings of blush on her cheeks. "I haven't had an excuse to make them since I was sixteen and babysat for my cousins. I am using your last few months before you're legal to my advantage."

The laugh that bubbles up out of her mouth is one of pure joy as her blue eyes sparkle and she pours herself a cup of juice. Putting away the carton, she turns to Kate and shakes her head as she makes her way over to the table.

"I'm glad my non-adulthood can be used to your advantage," the girls snickers as she picks up the morning paper.

"I was tempted to make them when I stayed at the loft but I figured your dad would never let me live that one down."

"You're probably right about that." There was the dull ache again, the one that came when her dad came up. She wishes it would go away. "He has no room to talk, though, he still makes them on occasion. He uses me as an excuse, too."

"I'm sorry," the detective says softly.

Although the redhead knows exactly what she's apologizing for, she simply shakes her head and offers a smile as she flips mindlessly through the paper. "Don't be sorry, I'm glad my age can be of use to you."

"How many pancakes for the teenager, then?" The humor is back in Kate's voice, obviously trying to push away all mentions of Richard Castle.

"Just two, please." Alexis frowns as her hands stall, seeing her dad smiling up from the newspaper at her. Gina's hanging on his arm and she wonders just for a moment how the two go back and forth from dating to being simply business partners. When the picture starts to go blurry, she blinks and holds back the tears as she pushes the paper away.

She barely manages to make a swipe at her eyes before there's a plate being set in front of her, covered in two pancakes that were shaped like bunnies with three pieces of bacon covering them. She smiles softly as Kate sets out the syrup and butter, shortly sitting down with her a moment later.

"I hope you like bunnies - it was either that or the deformed giraffes. It seems my animal pancake making has gone a little flat."

"Bunnies are fine," she assures the older woman. Her eyes are glued to the plate as she debates on cutting the bunnies or not. She doesn't want to. Her stomach growls softly under the table and she grabs the knife Kate had set out when she wasn't paying attention, making careful cuts to the bunnies' ears.

The bacon is pushed to the side, thoughts of greasy food making her stomach twist as she pours a small amount of syrup onto the cut up pancakes. Her mind is racing as she takes the first bite, the silence eerily comfortable. She's not used to this. Her grandmother always has to fill the silence, as did her mother - the only two real woman in her life. She swallows the lump in her throat, taking a small sip of juice before glancing over to Kate.

"He found out I had sex."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** It's taking me longer than I thought it would to write this... Sorry for the delay! Hope you all enjoy. I own absolutely nothing.

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><p>Alexis is a bit surprised that Kate didn't choke on the giraffe shaped head she just put in her mouth, but she handles it like a pro and swallows quickly before turning her full attention to the redhead.<p>

"He found out you had sex?" The detective repeats slowly, taking a sip of her coffee to help down the pancake stuck in her throat.

"He heard me on the phone talking to Abigail," Alexis mutters as she looks down at the plate. "I thought he was still at the station with you, I didn't hear him come in."

"And you were talking about.. Sex." Kate raises an eyebrow, surprised at the behavior that didn't seem like the younger girl at all.

"I know. Me, talking about sex. It seems.." She shakes her head on a sigh, pushing the pancakes around. "But I had to tell someone and Paige has been super busy studying for an exam and Abigail doesn't care that he's.."

"I'm not here to judge you, Alexis. I'm here as a friend, promise." The brunette gives her a soft smile, trying to get her to relax and just say what she needs to.

"It's just, he's older than me." Alexis shrugs her shoulder, pushing the plate away. "And that's why the argument got so bad."

"So your dad was more upset that you had sex with an older guy, not that you had sex."

"Right. I've promised him for a while now that we were just friends and that nothing was happening and, I swear, that's all we were but these past couple months we've been talking and I broke up with Ashley." She rubs at her neck, knowing that she sounds like she's crazy. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Wait," Kate shakes her head as she holds up her finger, eyes closed as she remembers something. "Are you talking about Spencer, Alexis?"

She bites her lip as she looks down at the soggy pancakes, giving a little nod with her head before glancing up at the detective. She had been dreading the moment when the who part would come out.

"He's twenty-eight, Alexis!"

"I'm well aware how old he is," the redhead huffs out.

"That's ten years older than you," Kate explains a bit more slowly.

"I can do the math."

"You had to know that your dad would be upset, Alexis. His baby sleeping with a grown man. He's just worried about you."

"I didn't mean for the argument to get so out of hand," Alexis groans as her forehead hits the table. "But he wouldn't stop asking who and when I yelled out Spencer's name, he just.. I've never seen Dad look at me like that before. He kept repeating that I was only eighteen and I finally cracked. I yelled that I wasn't him or mom and that I wouldn't screw this up."

"Ouch," Kate mutters.

"He just got me so worked up, Kate, and he wouldn't stop; even when I told him we needed to sleep on it. I knew telling him I was going to mom's would hurt him, so I told him that and left after I packed my bags."

"He started crying when I told him that you were here," Kate admits quietly. "He was so worried you'd go off and do something stupid because of how mad you were. He just wants you happy, Alexis. Happy and safe."

Alexis nods, her heart swelling as she realizes how much of a mess she's made out of things. If she had stayed home and they had talked it out, instead of fighting like a bunch of teenagers.. She rubs her eye, sitting up straight to look at the detective.

"What did your dad do when he found out you had sex for the first time?'

"He downed the beer he was drinking and told me that were never to speak of it again," Kate laughs as she runs her fingers through her hair; her eyes sparkling as she loses herself in the memory. "Of course, this was after he walked in on me in my dorm and I found him an hour later at the bar near campus."

Alexis feels her cheeks burning red at a memory that must have been embarrassing at one point in time but now fills Kate with laughter.

"I would have died from embarrassment," the redhead rushes out in one breath.

"I almost did," Kate remembers. "But dad promised never to tell anyone that story and I promised never to tell anyone that I'd walked in on him and mom once."

"Ew," Alexis shudders.

"Right?" The brunette full out laughs at this, sighing as she leans back in her chair. "It was a nice bonding moment for us, even if he was a bit scarred."

"I wish I could say the same," Alexis mutters as she slams her forehead against the table again. "He's never going to look at me the same again."

"You two just need to sit down and talk this out," Kate says quietly as she reaches over to touch the girl's shoulder. "But for now, you need to get your butt up and get ready so we can go."

"Go? Go where?" The younger girl's head shot up, looking at the detective with curiosity.

"That would be telling and it's a surprise. Put something warmer on while I clean up and grab my coat."

Alexis knew when she could win in an argument and when she couldn't.. this was one of those times when she wouldn't win. Shaking her head at Kate, she pushes herself out from the table and heads back to the guest bedroom that had been claimed as hers as she yells back over her shoulder.

"You really need to stop hanging out with dad so much!"


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n**: I am so very sorry for basically dropping this story, and all of my others. My writer's block this time around was epic and then when I finally had muse, I was doing RP over on tumblr. I've been reading some old stuff and trying to get back into writing fic, so.. here's this! It's short, but I didn't want to push it quite yet. Also, I haven't watched Castle in well over a year so I'm behind, but this is mostly AU anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter? Let me know if this sounds alright :)

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><p>Ice skating with Kate is... an experience. A wonderfully amazing experience that makes it impossible to dwell on the fight with her dad. And on the fact that Kate's apparently friends with the owner and had arranged for the rink to be empty the night before, well.. Alexis is trying hard not to think about that. To think about just how much this woman obviously cares for her.<p>

And by trying not to think about it, she's cooking to distract herself.

Which explains the food that covers every inch of Kate's kitchen counters. Pots and pans are strewn about, random ingredients lingering on surfaces. The only spot that's not covered is near the stove, where she's currently leaning against the counter with a pinched look on her face. Her phone is held in her hands, lips parted slightly as she reads through her email. She doesn't even realize the older woman is home until it's too late.

"Holy—crap—Alexis?"

A startled gasp escapes her lips as she clutches the phone to her chest, wide eyes flying to the brunette. A sheepish looks comes over her features as she licks her lips, eyes flickering around the room.

"Kate—hey—sorry. I will clean this all up when I'm done, I swear. But you had to work, and I started to think and I just.. I needed a distraction. And since you made breakfast, I thought I could make you dinner!"

Kate can't help the small grin that spreads over her lips as she looks around, eyes bouncing from the splatter of some kind of sauce on the floor to the cheese littering her sink. It looked like a pizza had exploded in the kitchen.

"Alexis, you didn't have to cook for me – We could've ordered take out or something."

The redhead shakes her head, a warm grin settling over her lips as the oven dings and pulls her attention from the other. While she makes a grab for the oven mitt, and pulls out the pan that's burning hot, she politely ignores Kate for the moment.

"I know I didn't. But, I was bored and thinking about Dad and what happened and I'm just not ready to call him yet. Plus.. Spencer's busy on a case and I haven't talked to him or told him about everything, yet, so I'm just—I needed something to distract me. Homemade pizza and salad sounded like a good idea."

Kate let this sink in for a moment, before she simply nods and offers the young girl a smile, glancing around once more as she takes a seat at the small table. It's relatively clean, enough so that she can place her elbows on the top and let out a low breath.

"Alright—thank you for dinner, then." She pauses, just long enough to bite her bottom lip for a moment before she's clearing her throat. "Your dad told me to tell you that he misses you."

The words make Alexis falter in her movements, hands fluttering before she accidentally touches the cookie sheet and jerks it away quickly. Biting roughly on her lip, hoping the detective has missed her blunder; she takes a deep breath and then starts to cut the pizza into equal slices for them.

"I'll call him before bed. Even if it's just to tell him goodnight. I'm not.. I don't think I'm ready to actually talk to him, not yet."

"There's burn ointment under the bathroom sink, if it blisters," Kate offers offhandedly as she stands up and walks to pull down plates. She places them on the table, moving back to grab cups and pour water for them each. Settling back into the chair she had abandoned, she watches the youngest Castle move around her kitchen. "And you do what you're ready; you're more than welcome to stay here as long as you want, Alexis."

Her cheeks pinked as she carried the cookie sheet over to the table, carefully dishing out two slices to each of them before moving back to the counter. Grabbing bowls, she fills them up easily with salad before going back to the table, allowing herself to sit down this time.

"—thanks, Kate. I shouldn't need more than a few days. Dad'll start getting really anxious after tomorrow, and I wouldn't want you to have to deal with that at work. I'll figure it all out tonight or in the morning."

A light smirk curls Kate's lips as she accepts the pizza and salad the girl sets in front of her, eyes dancing at her words as she simply nods her head. Of course, the teenager would have the more leveled head about all of this.

"Sounds like a plan."


End file.
